A woman died in her Sacramento apartment last year due to a broken heater. Her sister is suing

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The sister of a woman who died of heat stroke in her Sacramento apartment is suing the corporate landlord.

Marione Okiku, 74, died May 22, 2023, in her River Park apartment at 5478 Carlson Drive.

“An autopsy confirmed the cause of death,” states the coroner’s report, obtained by The Sacramento Bee through a California Public Records Act request. “The furnace was on in the residence and the key to turn it off was broken. She was exposed to high temperatures in the residence.”

She was exposed to elevated temperatures for several days, the report states.

Okiku’s sister, Hazel Castellano, last month filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the landlord in Sacramento Superior Court.

“Prior to her death, (Okiku) had repeatedly asked defendants, and each of them, to repair or replace said heater,” the lawsuit alleged. “Despite numerous requests, defendants failed to take any action to repair or replace the heater, and those negligent acts and omissions were a direct and proximate cause of the death of (Okiku).”

The apartment complex is owned by San Jose-based Carlson Drive Apartments LLC. The LLC bought the complex in October 2021 from an El Dorado Hills couple, according to the county assessor’s office.

According to documents filed with the Secretary of State, the registered agent for the LLC is Humberto Escapini of San Jose , founder of EKHO Capital.

Escapini did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

“This is a sad and tragic outcome for the deceased and her family,” said Lisa M. Fletcher, attorney for Castellano. “It is a generally known medical fact that the elderly are at increased risk for (heat stroke). The deceased was 74 years of age when this fatality occurred. The complaint alleges Ms. Okiku’s death was due to a defective heater, never repaired by defendants.”

Okiku was one of at least five people who died of heat stroke in Sacramento since Jan. 1, 2022. Among them was Michael Hooper, who was homeless and exposed to high temperatures in a park in September 2022. At least nine people have died from hypothermia in the same timeframe after being exposed to cold temperatures, according to coroner records, including at least three who were homeless.